Watching his crewmates vanish one by one before his eyes—
Luffy finally broke down, as expected.
At this moment, he hated his own weakness more than anything.
And he fully realized just how powerless he truly was.
But by now, it was all too late.
All he could do was stand there in despair.
Helpless.
Vir looked at the scene unfolding before him—almost identical to the one in the original story—and couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.
‘Ah…’
‘Kuma, oh Kuma…’
‘You’re the one Luffy should be thanking the most.’
‘And yet now…’
‘He hates you to the bone.’
‘Honestly, how has a big dummy like you survived this long? Must be that massive body of yours…’
In Vir’s eyes right now—
Kuma looked more and more like Joy Boy.
Saving others without expecting anything in return.
‘Damn it, if I don’t save you, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself!’
‘Don’t you worry, friend—I’ll bust you out of that prison for sure!’
‘And after that, we’ll chop that damn Saint Saturn into pieces!’
‘I’m not letting that bastard off easy—he’s got a long-overdue beating coming!’
As Vir was thinking this—
Kuma had already walked up to Luffy.
Looking at the one he believed to be Joy Boy—
He didn’t offer any explanations.
He simply spoke in that same gentle voice:
“Perhaps… we’ll meet again someday…”
*Pop~*
As soon as Kuma said those words, he sent Luffy flying with a paw strike.
What he meant was probably that he believed Vir might be able to bring him back someday.
But he wasn’t sure.
So he said perhaps.
When he came before Robin and Chopper, the little reindeer was still frozen in place.
Kuma’s overwhelming presence, along with his terrifying speed—Chopper simply hadn’t been able to react.
Now, with both arms spread wide, Kuma brought his massive palms down toward the two of them.
Fear appeared on Robin and Chopper’s faces—
Completely understandable.
After all, no one knew what had happened to Luffy and the others after they vanished.
Maybe… they were crushed instantly?
Even if they wanted to resist—
Kuma wouldn’t give them a chance.
With his speed, they couldn’t do a thing.
Just as the two stared in despair at the descending paws—
Two slightly smaller hands suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking the path.
Kuma’s paw pads slammed against the pitch-black hands—
But didn’t move them in the slightest.
Robin and Chopper stared blankly at the hands shielding them.
It took them a moment to come back to their senses.
“They don’t need a ride.”
A lazy voice drifted over.
Hearing it, Robin and Chopper’s faces lit up instantly.
They turned toward the yawning figure—
And when they saw Vir stretching—
Their faces lit up with uncontainable joy.
Big Bro… he’s really alive!
This—this is insane!
He was completely dead… and now he’s alive again?!
Big Bro is seriously amazing!
Chopper’s eyes were sparkling like stars.
Robin, however, quickly calmed down.
From Vir’s earlier words, it was clear he knew this Shichibukai well.
So… all of this was planned by him?
If that’s the case, then maybe Luffy and the others… aren’t in danger at all.
Thinking that, Robin’s worries quickly faded.
At this moment, Kuma looked at Vir—suddenly up and about, looking totally relaxed—and was utterly stunned.
Weren’t you on the brink of death?
How… how the hell…?
Kuma honestly had no clue what kind of trick Vir was playing.
But he didn’t press the issue.
As long as Vir was fine, that was good enough.
Though he didn’t understand why Vir chose to leave the two of them behind—
What truly shocked him—
Was how effortlessly Vir had blocked his paw strike.
He knew Vir was strong.
Probably stronger than himself.
But he hadn’t expected this kind of gap.
Even Kuma was surprised at how fast Vir had grown.
That level of Armament Haki…
It’s at least Admiral-tier.
Just how did Vir pull this off?
At his age, Kuma was still a priest in a church…
The difference really is insane…
“Alright, this side of things is pretty much wrapped up. Are you gonna keep an eye on Bonney? No one can say what’s going to happen on this island next.”
Vir’s voice pulled Kuma out of his thoughts.
Hearing that, Kuma snapped back to reality.
If Akainu really did show up—
Then Bonney’s life would be in danger too.
If she encountered Akainu—
There’d be no escape from death.
The thought made Kuma panic.
He had to get back. Fast.
At that moment, a flash of yellow light shot past them—
Speeding toward the direction Rayleigh was in.
Kuma’s eyes flickered with alarm.
“I’m heading out.”
With that, he vanished.
Watching him disappear in a hurry, Vir let out another sigh.
Sigh… what a role model for a dad.
“Big Bro!!”
A loud voice shouted out.
Vir turned just in time to catch a flying reindeer—
Chopper launching himself into a face-hugging tackle.
Vir didn’t resist.
It had been half a month since they last saw each other.
He did miss the little guy.
But the moment Chopper’s snot and tears started smearing all over Vir’s head—
He suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore…
“Alright, alright! You’re not a kid anymore, act your age!”
Vir said in an exasperated tone—
While prying Chopper off his face.
“Big Bro~ Luffy and the others… they’ll be okay, right?!”
Chopper asked through tears, voice full of worry.
“They’re fine. They’ve just gone off to train and grow stronger.”
As soon as Vir said that, both Chopper and Robin visibly relaxed.
They’d suspected it—but confirmation brought real peace of mind.
But that made Vir wonder:
Had Kuma set up a training spot for him too?
After all, he’d found one for every member of the Straw Hat crew, hadn’t he?
So wouldn’t Vir have one as well?
He’d have to ask him later!
As for why he left these two behind—
There wasn’t really any special reason.
He just thought their assigned training grounds were garbage.
Robin’s involved building bridges and working with the Revolutionary Army—
Not exactly a power boost.
And Chopper?
Well, Vir was Chopper’s teacher.
Wouldn’t it make way more sense for the little reindeer to train with him?
It was better than being stuck alone on some random bird island.
At that moment, Vir grabbed both of them and used teleportation to move them onto his tiny electric boat.
“Sail in that direction. I’ll have Merry follow you.”
“What about you, Big Bro?”
Chopper asked, worried.
Vir gave a confident smile.
“Don’t worry. Even if you die, I won’t!”
That made Chopper’s ears droop.
‘Big Bro’s great and all… but why does he always joke about me dying?’
‘It’s really hard on a reindeer’s heart, you know!’
“Take Merry and get as far as you can. I can teleport to wherever she is.”
After saying that—
Vir vanished on the spot.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield…
Rayleigh, now face-to-face with Kizaru, felt sweat beading on his forehead.
But what he didn’t know was…
Someone who would make Rayleigh forget how to sweat altogether was about to arrive.
—–
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